Oil burning apparatus



June 30, 1942. P. GAINEY OIL BURNING APPARATUS 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed March 20, 1940 INVENTOR PERCY G/J/NEY ATTORNEYS June 30, 1942. P. GAINEY 2,288,083

OIL BURNING APPARATUS Filed March 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PERCY G/l/NEY ATTORN EYS Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OIL BURNING APPARATUS Percy Gainey, Linden, N. 0.

Application March 20, 1940, Serial No. 324,953 6 Claims. (01. 158-91) This invention relates to improvements in oil burning apparatus, more particularly adapted for usein tobacco barns and the like for curing tobacco. The apparatus is also well adapted for use in heating the interior of tents, such as army tents, cottages and other small dwellings, and in fact, the invention may be incorporated in the usual house heating oil burning apparatus.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 239,127, filed November 5, 1938. V

It is an object of this invention to provide improved oil burning apparatus of the wickless type which may safely be used in curing tobacco without setting fire to the barn.

Another object is to provide improved oil burning apparatus in which the emciency of the apparatus is greatly increased and in which the oil consumption is materially reduced.

A further object is to provide such apparatus in which carbon deposits are substantially reduced and in some instances substantially completely eliminated.

Other objects and advantage will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the apparatus showing one manner of installing the apparatus in a structure such as a tobacco barn,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1, and showing the burner body from the bottom thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral Ill designates the outer wall of a structure to be heated, such as a tobacco barn, etc. In a structure of this type a dirt fioor H is usually provided and in this instance I have shown a portion of the oil burning apparatus below the floor level. However, this arrangement is optional and may be changed to suit the particular structure with which the apparatus is used.

The numeral I2 indicates a pit which, in the present embodiment of the invention, is arranged below the fioor level and is lined with suitable material such as brick or concrete to form an annular wall I3. At one point the 'wall I 3 is provided with an opening M which receives the open inner end of an air inlet supply pipe or conduit IS, the open outer end of which extends above the surface of the earth l6 outside the structure I0. The outer end of pipe 15 is shieldetc., and this pipe is large enough to insure delivery of a continuous, adequatesupply of air to the pit I2 and the burner apparatus above same.

0n the upper surface of wall I 3 there is arranged an annular base plate l8 having a central opening !9 and a plurality of spaced openings 20 arranged outwardly of opening l9. Plate I8 is also provided outwardly of opening 20 with an'upstanding annular flange 2| having a series of inwardly extending lugs Em, and slightly\ spaced from the periphery of opening IS a second series of similar lugs 22 is arranged.

An annular burner vbody indicated as a whole by numeral 23, is supported on plate l8 above the central opening I9 and, as shown, this body is snugly confined on the plate by lugs 22. Burner body 23 comprises an outer annular wall 24 and an inner wall 25 connected to the outer wall at the lower ends of the walls to provide a base 26. The walls 24 and 25 and base 26 define a substantially annular oil cup 2'! which receives oil to be burned.

As will be noted from Figs. 1 and 2, the wall 25 is provided on its outer surface with a plurality of spaced substantially vertical, tapPring projections 28 which extendinto the oil cup and cause the latter to assume the irregular shape shown in Fig. 2. Viewing the burner body from the bottom, as in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the inner surface of wall 25 defines a central opening 29 which is aligned with opening I9 in the base plate to permit air to enter the burner body. As will also be more readily observed from Fig. 3, the projections 28 are hollow as indicated at 30 from the bottom thereof to the horizontal shoulder portion 3|, and each shoulder 3| has a vertical opening 32 therein, thus providing a plurality of openings 32 which permit air to pass into the region above the oil cup 21.

As will be noted from Figs. 1 and 2, the shoulder portions 3| form a part of a horizontal .wall 33 which extends from the upper end of wall 25 to the lower end of a tubular flue member 34, which in this instance is substantially coneshaped with its upper surface 35 having a central opening 36 formed therein to permit air to pass upwardly through the flue.

At a plurality of spaced points adjacent the junction of horizontal wall 33 with flue 34, the latter is provided with a plurality of openings 31 arranged at an angle with respect to vertical openings 32, so as to direct air at an angle above the oil cup to supplement the air entering through ed as at H to prevent the entrance of rain, snow, 68 openings 32. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, openings 32 and 31 are preferably arranged in staggered relation with respect to each other. The angle of openings 31 with respect to' the horizontal is preferably about 30 which will be later referred to.

The burner body 23 has a vertical extension 38 which we will term the burner barrel, which in reality is a part of the body, but which for the sake of convenience is cast separate. This barrel fits snugly on the upper end of wall 24 and forms a continuation thereof which extends above the top of flue 34. The upper surface of barrel 38 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings or cut-out portions 39 and receives a cap ring 40 which fits snugly on said upper surface.

Ring 40 extends outwardly from barrel 33 and is tapered as at 4| for tight fitting engagement with a conical, tubular housing 42 whose lower end engages base plate l8 and is held in place by lugs 2|a. The upper end of housing 42 receives a generally T-shaped heat distributing flue 43 having a small door 44 therein.

Between the top and bottom of oil cup 21, wall 24 is provided with a threaded opening 45 which receives the threaded inner end of an oil delivery line 46, the outer end of which extends'into a barrel or other reservoir 41 preferably arranged outside the wall 10. The oil is fed by gravity to cup 21, and line 46 contains a hand valve 48 and an oil level regulating float valve 49 (shown only diagrammatically since it is of conventional construction) for controlling the flow of oil.

Preferably the float valve is mounted high enough so that the oil level in the cup can be raised above the opening 45 and so that oil will be delivered to the cup below the flame.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that part of the burner apparatus is below the level of the dirt floor and the dirt around the bottom of housing 42 helps to cool the bottom of thehousing 42 which is also cooled by air passing upwardly through openings 20 in base plate l8. At any of the points where I have called for a snug or tight fitting engagement of the parts, a suitable cement may be used to seal these parts together if desired.

In using my burner the oil is admitted to cup 21 and at the start of the burning operation is allowed to rise to the top of the cup. Valve 49 is then set to insure a constant delivery which will maintain the oil at the proper level for the amount of heat required, but not necessarily at the top of the cup or above opening 45 after the initial filling takes place. Door 44 is now opened and a piece of burning waste is dropped onto the oil in the cup. This waste will ignite the oil and eventually burn up.

A constant air supply is assured through pipe l5 and pit l2, and primary air is supplied to the burning oil through vertical openings 32 and angular openings 31. Experience has shown that best results are obtained when the angular openings 31 are arranged at an angle of approximately 30 to the horizontal. This arrangement of the angular openings directs the cold air substantially under the lower portion of the flame (which extends up into the distributing flue 43 when burning properly) and allows the air to warm before entering the main body of the flame. In this way combustion is not retarded due to chilling the gases before combustion is complete. Air entering through the angular openings also spreads the flame so that it fills the space above the oil more than would be the case if the openings were at a greater angle, thus giving more direct fire shine" on the oil to vaporize it. When the angular openings were arranged at an angle .as much at 45 a high carbon deposit was obtained on the inside of the burner barrel 38, but

with the angular openings. at about 30?, this deposit does not occur;

To obtain proper spacing of the two series of primary air openings I-have found that with a burner body 23 having an outside diameter of about 10 inches with the diameter at the base of the flue 34 being about 4% inches, that the vertical openings 32 should have their centers on a circle with a radius about one inch greater than the radius of the base of flue 34. This 'places the vertical openings 32 about one inch omitted, .excessive carbon forms an over the inner surface of the body. If the angular openings 31.are omitted, very little, if any, combustion takes place. The st gered relationship of the two'series of primary air openings is also believed to be important since excessive carbon forms when the respective series are arranged with their openingsinradial alignment.

. Secondary air reaches the flame through opening 36 in flue 34 and through openings 20 in base plate I8, which direct the air upwardly between housing 42 and the burner body 23 and barrel 38. When the air strikes cap ring 40 it is directed through openings 39 into contact with the flame above the top of flue 34. The secondary air passing from pit 12 through the top of flue 34 helps keep'the walls of the burner body cool and supplements the" secondary air passing through openings 39. Likewise, the air passing through openings 20 will alsoserve to cool the wall of the burner body and barrel, and both streams of secondary air will be satisfactorily heated when they contact the flames to insure proper combustion without delay.

The type of fire desired from low fire to high fire is controlled by regulating the supply of oil to the burner. The more oil, the more fire. My arrangement gives excellent results with greatly increased. efllciency and materially reduced oil consumption. Carbon deposits are substantially eliminated and the danger of setting fire to the tobacco barn or otherfstructure is very remote.

It has also been .found that the depth of oil cup 21 is important. With a burner body having an outside diameter of about10 inches and an outer wall 24 of an outside height of about 2% inches, the oil cup is preferably of a depth of about 2 inches. With this arrangement, on high fire, the oil is far enough below the flame so that carbon is not formed due to wet oil coming in contact with too hot a surface. With an oil cup of only 1% inch depth it was found that excessive carbon forined in the oilcup due to the high heat in the walls and bottom of the cup. Thus, by keeping the oil in the cup farther away from the flame (which flameis above the primary air holes. excent at the start) byusing aaeaoes a cup of the depth preferred, carbon is not formed in the oil cup. Even at high heat there is probably not more than of an inch depth to the oil in the cup. Hence, the depth of the cup together with the cooling of the walls and bottom of the burner body by the air from the pit, provides an arrangement whereby wet oil can be introduced into the burner without carbon formation which otherwise would be present if the cup were hotter.

It should be understood that when the burner is started the oil cup is full of oil and the flame is on the oil surface. But as soon as enough heat is generated to vaporize the oil, the flame moves up until it is wholly above the primary air holes and the oil level in the cup goes down. Even though the oil cup may be hot enough to vaporize the oil as it comes into the cup, no burning takes place until the oil vapor is mixed with the air above the primary air openings.

At low fire, the color of the flame is predominantly yellow, even above the secondary air supply. At high fire, the color of the flame below the level of the secondary air is predominantly yellow, but after secondary air strikes the flame it becomes substantially white, indicating that practically complete combustion is taking place.

It will be obvious that my apparatus can also be operated satisfactorily above the level of the ground, since the principles of operation are the same as long as an enclosed pit having air supplied thereto is arranged below the burner to insure adequate air for the burner.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited but that various modifications may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An oil burner unit comprising an annular body having a central opening and an oil cup surrounding said opening, a barrel extending above said cup and being provided with a series of secondary air inlet openings, a tubular flue extending upwardly from the center of said body, said flue being open at the top and bottom thereof and communicating with said central opening, the opening in the top of said flue constituting a supplemental secondary air inlet opening, said body being provided with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings arranged between said cup and said central opening, and said flue being provided with a series of primary air inlet openings communicating with said central opening and arranged to deliver air at an angle to said vertical openings.

2. In oil burning apparatus of the character described, a base plate having a central opening and a plurality of openings spaced outwardly from said central opening, a substantially annular burner body on said plate inwardly of said plurality of openings and having a central opening therein aligned with the central opening in said plate, an oil cup in said body, means for supplying oil to said cup, a burner barrel extending above said cup and being provided with a series of secondary air inlet openings, a cap ring on said barrel, a tubular flue extending upwardly from the center of said body, said flue being open at the top and bottom thereof and communicating with the central opening in said body, said body being provided with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings arranged between said cup and the central opening in said body, said flue being provided with a series of primary air inlet openings arranged to deliver air at an angle to said vertical openings, a tubular tapered housing supported on said base plate outwardly of the openings in the latter and engaging said cap ring to form a seal therewith intermediate the ends of the housing, and means for supplying air through the openings in said base plate.

3. In oil burning apparatus of the character described, an upright burner body having an oil cup formed with an inner and an outer wall, means for supplying oil to said cup, said body being provided inwardly of said inner wall with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings terminating at their upper ends with the upper end of said inner wall, and being further provided inwardly of said vertical openings with a second series of primaryair inlet openings staggered with respect to said vertical openings and arranged to deliver air at an angle to said vertical openings, the upper ends of said second series of openings terminating in a plane slightly above the upper end of said inner wall, means for supplying primary air to said openings, and

means for directing a continuously vertical secondary air supply above said openings.

4. In oil burning apparatus of the character described, an upright burner body having a central opening therein and an oil cup formed with an inner and an outer wall surrounding said opening, means for supplying oil to said cup, said bodybeing provided inwardly of said inner wall with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings terminating at their upper ends with the upper end of said inner wall, and being further provided inwardly of said vertical openings with a second series of primary air inlet openings staggered with" respect to said vertical openings and arranged to deliver air at an angle to said vertical openings, said second series of air inlet openings communicating at their lower ends with said central opening and having their upper ends terminating ina plane slightly above the upper end of said inner wall, means for supplying primaryair to said primary air openings, and means for directing a continuously vertical secondary air supply above said primary air openmgs.

5. In oil burning apparatus of the character described, an upright burner body having a central opening therein and an oil cup formed with an inner and an outer wall surrounding said opening, means for supplying oil to said cup, a tubular flue extending upwardly from the center of said body, a horizontal wall connecting the bottom of said flue to the upper end of said inner wall of said oil cup, said flue being open at the top and bottom thereof and communicating with said central opening, said horizontal wall being provided inwardly of said inner wall with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings terminating at their upper ends with the upper end of said inner wall, said flue being provided inwardly of said vertical openings with a second series of primary air inlet openings staggered with respect to said vertical openings and arranged to deliver air at an angle to said vertical openings, said second series of air inlet openings communicating at their lower ends with said central opening and having their upper ends terminating in a plane slightly above said horizontal wall, means for supplying primary air to said primary 'air openings, and means for directing a secondary air supply above said flue.

6. In oil burning apparatus of the character described, an upright burner body having a central opening therein and an oil cup formed with an inner and an outer wall surrounding said opening, means for supp ing oil to said cup, a burner barrel forming a continuation of said outer wall and extending above said inner wall and being provided above said inner wall with a series of secondary air inlet openings, a tubular flue extending upwardly from the center of said body, a horizontal wall connecting the bottom of said flue to the upper end of said inner wall of said oil cup, said flue being open at the top and bottom thereof and communicating with said central opening, said horizontal wall being provided inwardly of said inner wall with a series of vertical primary air inlet openings terminating at their upper ends with the upper end of said inner wall, said flue being provided inwardly his PERCY x GAINEY.

mark Witnesses:

W. G. McAvoY, C. C. HAWARD. 

